Sports

Hot Topics:

Golden State Warriors fall 134-111 to Denver Nuggets

By Brian Howell

Correspondent

Posted:
04/11/2011 10:28:01 PM PDT

Updated:
04/12/2011 08:10:51 AM PDT

Click photo to enlarge

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry looks down in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets in Denver on Monday, April 11, 2011. The Nuggets won 134-111. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)

Since the Nuggets traded star Carmelo Anthony, they have won with incredible balance.

The Warriors got a firsthand look at that in a 134-111 loss at the Pepsi Center, as J.R. Smith scored 22 points to lead nine Nuggets in double figures.

"They have starters that are intact, and then you have guys that will come off the bench, and they can do just as well as the starters," Smart said.

Denver is 18-6 since the Feb. 22 trade that sent Anthony to New York. During that time, nine players have led the Nuggets in scoring in a game.

"They're one of the top talented teams in the league from top to bottom," Warriors guard Stephen Curry said. "It's tough to prepare for them because everybody can go off on any night. Tonight, all of them were kind of equal."

The Warriors countered with Curry and Dorell Wright, who each had 27 points in the absence of leading scorer Monta Ellis, who suffered a Grade-2 concussion Sunday against Sacramento.

Curry and Wright kept the Warriors in the game for a while. The score was tied at halftime.

"We did a very, very good job of managing the game and the guys did the right things for the most part through the half to keep the game close," Smart said.

Advertisement

They did the right things for much of the third quarter, too. A Curry jumper pulled the Warriors within 80-78 with 3:47 to play in the third. But, Denver went on a 12-3 run over the next two minutes to gain a cushion and turned the game into a rout in the fourth quarter.

While Smith, who scored 17 third-quarter points, drained jumpers and free throws, Chris Anderson and Kenyon Martin teamed for a flurry of second-half dunks. Even Kosta Koufos got into the act for Denver. The 7-footer had played just six minutes in the past four games combined, but he scored 16 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter.

"That's why they are the fifth seed (in the Western Conference) right now," Wright said. "They're a playoff team, and they did what they're supposed to do. They made a run, and they took it up another level."

During the game, the already short-handed Nuggets lost starting center Nene and starting guard Arron Afflalo to injuries. It didn't matter.

"It was just a matter of withstanding that run we knew they were going to have, and it turned out to be a bigger run than we expected," Curry said. "We just kind of got out of the game a little bit there in the third quarter."

It didn't help that Curry wasn't around to stop the bleeding in the fourth quarter. He played just 12 seconds in the final quarter before a mild right ankle sprain sent him to the bench. He is day to day. The Warriors don't practice today, so he will be able to rest in preparation for Wednesday's season finale in Portland.

In the end, Curry said, there was just too much going against the Warriors.

"(The altitude), back-to-back, a short rotation -- a lot of things stacking up to having guys play more minutes than they're used to," he said. "It's tough to win in those situations."

The Warriors finished the season with a 10-31 road record.

Anderson, who missed the previous five games with an ankle sprain, had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Raymond Felton also posted a double-double, with 15 points and 10 assists, for the Nuggets.

Ellis, who had started all 80 games before Monday, will also miss Wednesday's season finale.

The Warriors have lost six straight and 23 of 30 in Denver.

Warriors rookie Ekpe Udoh had a career-high six blocks.

No player in NBA history has scored more points in his seventh year than in his first six combined. Wright needs just 10 points Wednesday to become the first.

Denver is 41-4 in its past 45 home games against teams that played on the West Coast the night before.